Paul McAuliffe (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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523. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection to list the work activation measures that are currently under the remit of her Department; the full-year cost of each of these measures; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43065/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Irish labour market continues to perform well. According to data made available by the CSO, the seasonally adjusted monthly unemployment rate is 4.3 percent as of September 2024. It has been between 4 and 5 percent, the level conventionally considered full employment for Ireland, since January 2022. Additionally, according to the quarterly Labour Force Survey, the long-term unemployment rate decreased to 0.9 per cent as of Q2 2024, which is the lowest recorded since the series began in 1998.

Despite the strong performance of the Irish labour market there is a continued need to improve the participation rate of certain groups who face additional barriers to entering the labour market, such as people with disabilities, migrants, lone parents, members of the Traveller and Roma communities and older people. Furthermore, there are growing skills and labour shortages across a range of sectors which have the potential to hinder future growth prospects, making it essential to promote upskilling and reskilling, in light of the green and digital transitions.

To overcome these challenges, and to support employment opportunities for all, my Department oversees a range of activation measures which support the take up of employment, and the development of new skills.